


Hearts beat slow

by deepestbluest



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Getting Together, Iruka and Naruto are Jewish thanks for coming to my ted talk, M/M, Pesach | Passover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23503372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestbluest/pseuds/deepestbluest
Summary: Kakashi blinks. Nobody mentioned Naruto being Jewish.Sakura tilts her head, clearly thinking the same thing. “You're Jewish?”Naruto nods. “Iruka-sensei’s Jewish, and since he adopted me, I get to be, too!”
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 20
Kudos: 303





	Hearts beat slow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jessicamiriamdrew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicamiriamdrew/gifts).



> The title is from "Bird Song" by Juniper Vale

It's Kakashi’s policy not to be too friendly with his students.

This is the first group that's been dedicated enough to make it this far, though, and they all passed their first group project. Naruto in particular was focused and came up with some unusual interpretations that made their work more original.

So Kakashi makes an exception.

“You three did well, so I’ve got a treat for you,” he says, producing three bags of melon bread.

There's a moment of confusion, followed by three suspicious looks.

Kakashi sighs. “It's just food. There's no trick to it.”

The suspicious looks stay in place.

He can't entirely blame them for not trusting him. He did spend time putting them off-balance in the beginning by demonstrating concepts with snacks they didn't get to eat.

They could have eaten them- and Naruto might have- but the food did wind up on the floor. Kakashi wasn't going to feed his students anything like that.

“Well, if you don't want them, I guess I'll have them.”

Kakashi pretends to open a bag, but, to his relief, Sakura blurts, “Wait!” When he looks up, her face is pinker than her newly-dyed hair, but she still manages to say, “I’d like one, please.”

Pleased that she spoke up on her own- she's starting to grow out of the worst of her crush on Sasuke- Kakashi stops pretending to open the bag and holds it out to her.

She takes it with a look of open excitement.

Next to her, Sasuke gives the bag a longing look.

“Sasuke-kun,” Kakashi wheedles, “don't you want melon bread? Or maybe you'd like to bring it home to Itachi?”

Eyes narrowed, Sasuke nevertheless holds out his hand.

Kakashi sighs. “I know your parents taught you to say please.”

“Please,” Sasuke grumbles.

Kakashi hands him a bag.

The only one left, curiously, is Naruto.

Iruka practically stuffs Naruto’s pockets with food, but Naruto is twelve, plays sports, volunteers around the village, and is always hungry. The look on his face as he glances between Kakashi and the remaining bag of bread says he wants it.

“What about you, Naruto?”

Naruto shakes his head. “Thanks, Sensei, but it's Passover. I'm not supposed to have bread.”

Kakashi blinks. Nobody mentioned Naruto being Jewish.

Sakura tilts her head, clearly thinking the same thing. “You're Jewish?”

Naruto nods. “Iruka-sensei’s Jewish, and since he adopted me, I get to be, too!”

He grins, the melancholy of being denied bread disappearing at the opportunity to mention his adoption. Kakashi doesn't see Iruka very often because Iruka teaches much younger children, but he saw them walking home together the week Naruto’s adoption finally went through. Iruka had been looking at Naruto like he'd never been happier, his grin the mirror image of Naruto’s.

“Iruka-sensei and I did make me these, though,” Naruto continues, reaching into one of his many pockets and pulling out a bag. “His mom used to make this when he was a kid, so now he makes it for me!”

He holds it up like a trophy he's won.

As a kid who didn't have a parent until he found an adult who wanted to bring him home and spoil him, it probably is.

“Is it good?” Sakura asks.

Naruto puffs out his cheeks. “Of course it's good! It's snack mix!”

Sasuke peers over Sakura’s shoulder and says, “Yeah, but Iruka-sensei made it. He made a microwave explode in class.”

Kakashi bites the inside of his cheek as Naruto struggles to find a compromise between admitting Sasuke is right and defending Iruka.

In the end, Naruto just opens the bag and stuffs a handful into his mouth, which is probably for the best.

⁂

By the time study group ends, Naruto is fast asleep, Sasuke is on the phone with his brother and trying to convince Itachi there's no need to come in and get him, Sakura has sent Ino at least six selfies from various corners of the library, and Kakashi is ready to go home.

Usually he just heads out because all three walk to and from school, but Naruto mentioned he’s getting a ride home because Iruka thinks he's running around too much.

Ino pokes her head in the second Kakashi says study group is over, and Sakura skips out, the two of them immediately linking arms.

Sasuke follows a moment later, and Kakashi has to fight the urge to ask him what the rush is.

He'd only get scowled at; Sasuke is still at the age where it's uncool to admit he's excited to see his older brother while Itachi is visiting from college.

Left with Naruto, who's functionally dead to the world; a few other students, some of whom Kakashi recognizes; and the library's staff, Kakashi decides he may as well stick around for a little while. Naruto would be fine on his own, but better safe than sorry.

⁂

Kakashi is flicking through his emails, contemplating how many he can get away with ignoring, when the door to the library opens and Iruka comes in, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, Kakashi-sensei,” he says when he spots Kakashi. The blush on his cheeks darkens. “I hope you didn't stay just to look after Naruto.”

“Only a little,” Kakashi says, which is almost true. “He mentioned that you're worried about him.”

Iruka sighs, but when he looks at Naruto, his expression is fond. “He's a good kid, but that's part of the problem. He's always working hard for other people, trying to make the world better- I’m proud of him for caring about people so much, but he's only twelve. I want him to be happy, too.” He reaches over and combs his fingers through Naruto’s hair; Naruto doesn't so much as stir. “And, if I'm honest, I miss him. He's so busy now, I sometimes only see him for a few minutes a day.”

“Well, he probably learned some of that from his father,” Kakashi points out. “He hasn't thrown paint on anyone in a while.”

Iruka chuckles, but he still looks flustered at being called Naruto’s father. “He hasn't, has he? I suppose he must have been a good kid all along, as I suspected. Thank you for looking after him.”

“It's no trouble. Although, I do have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

Iruka freezes. “Would I- You- Huh?”

Kakashi clears his throat. “I'm asking you out, Iruka-sensei.”

“Oh.” A moment passes before Iruka asks, “Why now?”

“Ah, well, Naruto mentioned that it's Passover, and I thought I would say that it might be convenient for you to eat out instead of planning a different kind of meal than you usually make, but that sounded strange.” Kakashi rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. “By the time I realized I couldn't make it work, I'd already been here for twenty minutes and I've been trying to find a way to ask for a while, so I figured I'd try it like this.”

Something near Iruka’s hip makes a gagging sound.

Iruka flicks the side of Naruto’s head. “Don't be rude.”

Naruto looks up at him sharply, recoiling in dramatized horror. “Sensei! How could you?”

Iruka rubs the spot he flicked in apology but makes a face at Naruto as he says, “Don't make me look bad when I was just bragging about how great you are.”

He briefly ruffles Naruto’s hair before straightening up and saying, “I'm always a bit grumpy during Passover-”

“Iruka-sensei really likes carbs,” Naruto explains. “He’s probably dying to eat at Ichiraku. You should remember that when you think about where you're going to take him.”

“-but we could pick a time after Passover, if you'd like to.”

Iruka’s expression has gone bashful again, and Kakashi wants to kiss him so much it hurts.

“You should pick next Sunday,” Naruto stage whispers. “Passover will be over, and Iruka-sensei likes having a big meal on Sundays after napping on Shabbat.”

“Shouldn't you be unhappy about this?” Kakashi asks. He'd been expecting more pushback than one noise.

Shrugging, Naruto leans into Iruka. “If you'll make Iruka-sensei happy, then he should go out with you. But if you hurt him, I'll kill you,” he adds.

There's a sheen of happy tears in Iruka’s eyes as he leans in and kisses Naruto’s temple, ignoring Naruto’s weak protests that Iruka is undercutting him.

“We have to teach on Monday, and I don't want to keep you out too late,” Kakashi says when Iruka looks back at him. “But we could do lunch if you wanted to.”

Iruka beams at him. “I’d like that!”

Kakashi smiles back and doesn't stop until long after Iruka and Naruto have left and Kakashi himself has made it home.

“Guess who's got a date!” he tells Pakkun when the little pug wanders into the kitchen, looking up at him curiously as Kakashi switches into slippers.

Pakkun isn't as excited as Kakashi, but he will be once he meets Iruka.

**Author's Note:**

> You can say hi on [tumblr](https://asotin.tumblr.com) if you'd like to!


End file.
